Partnering with Schools to Expand Students' Perspectives

Primary Source ensures that students are well educated about international geography, peoples, cultures, and languages so that they may thrive in our changing nation and world. Through partnerships with schools, Primary Source provides teachers with the resources they need to incorporate international perspectives into the classroom. In 2007, Primary Source's partner schools and school districts throughout New England have worked to expand students' understanding of the world through a variety of innovative projects.

2007 Highlights of School and District Global Education Initiatives

Belmont will soon be enrolling high school students in "Global Politics," a new course that encourages students to study the political philosophies of different countries and apply the ideas to the modern international issues they face. In the 2008-2009 school year, Belmont will host a student delegation from Suzhou, China, and send its own student delegation to visit Suzhou.

Brimmer and May School has added two new geography and culture courses and enriched its Lower School social studies program in an effort to broaden curriculum to improve global awareness.

Brockton has developed a strong Mandarin Chinese program during the past two years. At the high school, 130 students will be enrolled in Mandarin language programs and at Gilmore Academy, a middle school with a global focus, 270 students will be taking Mandarin. Brockton has also instituted the International Baccalaureate program at the high school and at Gilmore Academy.

Burlington High School has introduced a Global Studies Certificate Program, designed to foster students' interest in the larger world beyond the confines of Massachusetts and the United States, with a focus on becoming members of the global community. Students who participate in this program will be recognized for building knowledge that is essential for making a contribution to a global society.

Carlisle's teachers have taken their learning experiences from Primary Source and integrated new concepts into the curriculum, giving a global perspective to their work. The district has recently introduced an elementary Spanish program as well as a middle school Chinese program. Carlisle's 2007 winter concert, which highlighted African music, helped to raise money for a school in Africa visited by a teacher on Primary Source's Ghana study tour.

Dover-Sherborn's English and Social Studies departments have launched an interdisciplinary unit based on Greg Mortensons Three Cups of Tea, which will include a school-wide reading program and visiting speakers who will address international issues related to the book's theme. The district has recently concluded a three-year Mandarin language pilot program and will soon offer Chinese as a permanent language option for students.

Lincoln-Sudbury teachers are taking a closer look at Africa, China, Japan and Latin America through Primary Source's programs. In-depth professional development workshops in Lincoln-Sudbury have examined China in the context of the 2008 Olympics as well as modern-day Ghana.

Needham High School has launched a Global Competence Program, designed to foster students' global awareness and provide graduates with the essential skills for participating in and contributing to an increasingly globalized society. Program components include foreign travel, language, community service, and a culminating research project.

Sharon has adapted its elementary, middle, and high school curricula to reflect current world issues, including an increased emphasis on the Middle East, Latin America, Japan, and China. Two new electives, "World Religions" and "Current Events in the World Today," have been added to the high school course offerings. Sharon also began a formal exchange program with a high school in Xi'an, China.

Shrewsbury received the AIG WorldSource/Massachusetts Initiative for International Studies (MIIS) Award for Excellence in International Education at the April 2007 MIIS Conference. Shrewsbury has also added global education courses to its high school curriculum, expanded its middle school Mandarin language program, and has included the study of Japan at the elementary school level.

Watertown middle and high school students, accompanied by several teachers and administrators, will soon travel to China through the Pathways to China program, following intensive summer courses on the country's culture and history.

Weston has integrated a global perspective into its curriculum through exchanges, travel and participation in Primary Source programs. In 2008, a group of Weston teachers and administrators will travel to southwest Uganda to volunteer in the home schools of seven Ugandan teachers who visited Weston in 2007.

Whitman-Hanson is currently hosting a Chinese guest teacher who has worked in each of the district's schools, led the elementary summer enrichment program, and taught Mandarin and Chinese culture at the high school. A Whitman-Hanson educator is currently teaching in Suzhou, China as part of the U.S.-China Teacher Exchange.

Winchester is proud to partner with the Dandelion School in Beijing, an effort spearheaded by social studies department head Margie Harvey with support from Primary Source. The district has also been able to offer a China Studies elective for high school students.